OUR SOCIAL MISSION
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Our task as a parish community is ‘to make the Kingdom of God present in our world’’ (Pope Francis). We are called to embody Christ-like love for all, and especially to those who are poor or excluded or face injustice. Our concern is both for those in our own community and for our wider society and our global community.
Across the Catholic Parish of Guildford, there are many groups and activities that take forward this aspect of living our Catholic faith. All groups welcome new members. Some are shared with other Christians and neighbours locally. |
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CAFOD Lent Appeal
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In CAFOD’s 60th anniversary year we are called to contemplate how we may share with our brothers and sisters living in poverty. This Lent we are focusing on how our prayers and donations will help to prevent malnutrition in countries like Sierra Leone. click the button below to find out ways to support CAFOD this lent
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SUPPORT FOR FAIR TRADE
AND FARMERS IN PALESTINE
CPG strives to be a Fair Trade Parish. Volunteers work hard to encourage people to buy fairly traded goods, because Fair Trade helps people in poverty to earn their way to a better life, and reduces the need for aid.
During the covid-19 pandemic we have been operating an online sales facility by email for the sale of Traidcraft and Zaytoun goods within our area. Each month Grace Bradley and Michael Combes send an email to a number of parishioners and others giving an opportunity to buy these goods.
Grace receives orders order from customers and places an order with Traidcraft for requested items. Michael carries a stock of a range of Zaytoun olive oils and other items which are available for sale according to a published price list. Deliveries to customers are normally made within one week of their placing their requests. Payment is made in cash or by online bank transfer.
If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be included please email the office office@cpg.church. You can leave the mailing list at any time.
FAIR TRADE FORTNIGHT this year is being promoted by the Fairtrade Foundation from 21 February to 6 March. We plan to make our next invitation to purchase around 25/26 February with delivery for the following weekend. This might be an opportunity for you to make a one-off purchase in support of the Fortnight. Of course there are similar opportunities in many of our local shops.
You can find out more about Traidcraft goods here and about the Fair Trade Foundation here. Information about Zaytoun products can be found here.
At some point it may be possible to resume our sales of Fair Trade and Zaytoun products from stalls and shops in our churches and information on this development will be published as soon as may be.
During the covid-19 pandemic we have been operating an online sales facility by email for the sale of Traidcraft and Zaytoun goods within our area. Each month Grace Bradley and Michael Combes send an email to a number of parishioners and others giving an opportunity to buy these goods.
Grace receives orders order from customers and places an order with Traidcraft for requested items. Michael carries a stock of a range of Zaytoun olive oils and other items which are available for sale according to a published price list. Deliveries to customers are normally made within one week of their placing their requests. Payment is made in cash or by online bank transfer.
If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be included please email the office office@cpg.church. You can leave the mailing list at any time.
FAIR TRADE FORTNIGHT this year is being promoted by the Fairtrade Foundation from 21 February to 6 March. We plan to make our next invitation to purchase around 25/26 February with delivery for the following weekend. This might be an opportunity for you to make a one-off purchase in support of the Fortnight. Of course there are similar opportunities in many of our local shops.
You can find out more about Traidcraft goods here and about the Fair Trade Foundation here. Information about Zaytoun products can be found here.
At some point it may be possible to resume our sales of Fair Trade and Zaytoun products from stalls and shops in our churches and information on this development will be published as soon as may be.
CPG 10% CHARITY APPEAL
In the period leading up to Christmas in 2021 the annual Appeal took place across CPG to assist smaller, less well-known charities whose aim is to support the Poorest of the Poor. With a view to identifying the charities, parishioners were invited to nominate suitable charities and then to express their preferences from a shortlist of nominated organisations.
The CPG Charities Fund has selected the following charities to benefit from the Appeal.
On behalf of the charities, the organisers wish to thank CPG parishioners for their generosity in supporting this MISSION event.
The CPG Charities Fund has selected the following charities to benefit from the Appeal.
- LOCAL : Guildford Town Chaplaincy https://gtcc.org.uk/community-angels/
- NATIONAL: Prison Advice and Care Trust www.prisonadvice.org.uk
- INTERNATIONAL : SPICMA https://spicma.org/mission-and-values/
On behalf of the charities, the organisers wish to thank CPG parishioners for their generosity in supporting this MISSION event.
PAX CHRISTI
(THE CATHOLIC INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR PEACE)
Vision:
The work of Pax Christi – the Peace of Christ – is based on the gospel and inspired by faith. Our vision is of a world where people can live in peace, without fear of violence in any form. Pax Christi is rooted in Catholic Christianity but is open to all who share its values and work.
Working for:
Education for peace is of paramount importance. Pax Christi has a full-time Schools and Youth Education Officer. The Christian Peace Education Fund now has its own website where you can find out about the CPEF, how you can support their work, and applying for grants.
Supporting Pax Christi:
The main source of income for Pax Christi comes from the retiring collection on Peace Sunday in January each year. Pax Christi is a non-profit, unincorporated membership organisation. As a membership and campaigning organisation, it chooses not to be a charity so do not benefit from government schemes such as Gift Aid. This makes donations all the more important.
CPG held a collection for Pax Christi on Peace Sunday.
To support Pax Christi further please click HERE.
www.paxchristi.org.uk , Tel: +44 (0)20 8203 4884, E-mail: info@paxchristi.org.uk
The work of Pax Christi – the Peace of Christ – is based on the gospel and inspired by faith. Our vision is of a world where people can live in peace, without fear of violence in any form. Pax Christi is rooted in Catholic Christianity but is open to all who share its values and work.
Working for:
- Peace – based on justice. A world where human rights are respected, basic needs are met and people feel safe and valued in their communities.
- Reconciliation – a process which begins when people try to mend relationships – between individuals or whole countries after times of violence or dispute.
- Nonviolence – a way of living and making choices that respects others, challenges what is not fair or just, and offers alternatives to violence and war.
Education for peace is of paramount importance. Pax Christi has a full-time Schools and Youth Education Officer. The Christian Peace Education Fund now has its own website where you can find out about the CPEF, how you can support their work, and applying for grants.
Supporting Pax Christi:
The main source of income for Pax Christi comes from the retiring collection on Peace Sunday in January each year. Pax Christi is a non-profit, unincorporated membership organisation. As a membership and campaigning organisation, it chooses not to be a charity so do not benefit from government schemes such as Gift Aid. This makes donations all the more important.
CPG held a collection for Pax Christi on Peace Sunday.
To support Pax Christi further please click HERE.
www.paxchristi.org.uk , Tel: +44 (0)20 8203 4884, E-mail: info@paxchristi.org.uk
CARJ
(CATHOLIC ASSOCATION FOR RACIAL JUSTICE)
CARJ is an independent charity, established in 1984, working to support people from diverse backgrounds. Core objectives and activities are:
- support for and empowerment of black and minority ethnic Catholics and to give them an effective voice in the Church and in the wider society;
- supporting people from diverse backgrounds in the struggle for a more just and cohesive society;
- supporting black and minority ethnic young people through a Schools Project and Young People’s Forum for World Citizenship.
- working with Catholic Dioceses and Parishes, among other things:
- to raise awareness of the issues of racial justice and community cohesion;
- to support diocesan and other local racial justice groups;
- to campaign for awareness raising and education for racial justice to be an integral part of training in Seminaries, Colleges, Schools, Parishes and Catholic organisations;
- to sponsor and publish appropriate research;
- to facilitate the integration of the spiritual, liturgical and theological with the moral and political struggle for justice and cohesion;
- to develop ecumenical links and links with other faith communities; and
- to undertake advocacy in response to requests for advice and support from victims of prejudice, discrimination and injustice.
- to facilitate the integration of the spiritual, liturgical and theological with the moral and political struggle for justice and cohesion;
- to raise awareness of the issues of racial justice and community cohesion;
SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES
A&B JUSTICE & PEACE ASSEMBLY 2022
The A&B annual Justice & Peace Assembly ‘To a Safer Shore’ was devoted to one of the foremost challenges of our times – the plight of refugees. A number of CPG parishioners attended this inspiring and unquestionably thought provoking zoom meeting which included presentations by Canon Rob Esdaile, Karen Goldsmith, Aidan Cantwell and John Paul de Quay. To find out more about the speakers, read their notes or watch the recording of the Assembly click HERE.
CPG REFUGEE SUPPORT FUND
The CPG Refugee Support Fund was established to respond to the call of Pope Francis to Action. Below you will find information about the Fund’s activities and its aspirations for future action.
The Fund held a fundraising Dinner on 6 November 2021, attended by over fifty CPG parishioners, at which over £3,200 was raised – a magnificent testimony to the enduring generosity of our parishioners.
The Friends of RSF (see more below) has been inaugurated. Everyone is welcome to join this group for information and potential volunteering.
BackgroundFor several years, following the refugee crisis in 2015, a group of parishioners have held fundraising dinners to provide support for refugees, particularly from Syria, to be resettled under the Government Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Guildford Borough Council administers the Scheme locally and provides certain financial and other support.
Although eight families have been resettled in Guildford under the Scheme between 2016 and 2018, the Council decided that it no longer had sufficient funds available to increase the number of refugees that it could support.
Accordingly, the CPG Refugee Support Fund was formally set up for the purpose of providing direct financial support to refugees currently settled in the Borough. The Fund works closely with the Anglican Diocese of Guildford which has played a major role in ministering to the needs of the refugee families who have settled in the area.
Recent fundraising and expenditureFrom 2018 to 2021, from various functions and activities a total of £5,727 has been raised for use in the Fund’s support activities.
Over the same period £4,041 has been spent in supporting the Syrian families in providing basic items needed for family life, particularly in supplying items of children's clothing and footwear. Worryingly, in recent times there has been a need to provide emergency relief for the purchase of food when benefit systems have failed or the impact of covid-19 has been felt.
Non-financial supportIn addition to financial support, there are other ways in which assistance can be provided to the refugee families. It is very much hoped that plans for future activities will provide a range of are opportunities for volunteers to take on a number of practical roles designed to facilitate the ordinary living requirements of families recently established in our community.
A major contribution to the viability of the lives of the families has been the provision of laptops by parishioners and by The Guildford Lions Club.
Is the Refugee Crisis Over? Of course not!The refugee crisis which came to a head in 2015 has lasting repercussions and the number of displaced people around the world continues to grow. In recent times the attention given to the pandemic and certain aspects of the climate crisis may have diminished the focus of compassion towards the plight of involuntary migrants.
In Britain there is a political dimension to the arrival of refugees which may reduce the willingness of people to provide a welcome and sustain the newcomers with essential support. But the turbulent circumstances of the withdrawal of troops and others from Afghanistan has produced a new wave of sympathy and desire to help that is being channelled by a combination of government and voluntary sector initiatives.
What can we do?The unflagging generosity of the people of Guildford manifests itself in many ways and through a host of organisations dedicated to the support of the less fortunate, including displaced people.
The CPG Refugee Support Fund intends to
It is envisaged that calls for funds will diminish over time but for now the intention is to continue support for four Syrian families during the remainder of the period of their inclusion in the Scheme which ends in 2023.
Support for the Afghan families
There are currently two Government schemes
Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was established in April before the crisis of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is intended to assist those who worked for the Government alongside our armed forces. Some 7,000 people are expected to be resettled in the UK. So far GBC has found homes for 2 families, who have arrived and we have already provided some support for them.
Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) was established in September in the wake of the withdrawal crisis. So far 15,000 of those deemed most at risk have been evacuated and perhaps, in time, more may be able to come. The intention is to resettle 20,000, with some 5,000 in the first year
At least three properties have already been sourced in Guildford and offered to GBC. Participation by any local authority is dependent on the extent of funding available from central Government so GBC has yet to make and announce a decision on its possible involvement.
Potential Community Sponsorship Project
A Scheme to assist the resettlement of refugees was launched by the Home Office in 2016 under which community groups undertake to resettle and support a family for a minimum of two years. The RSF Team is now supporting the exploration of carrying out a Community Support Project in Guildford.
A small CSP Team has been formed to manage the Project. A wider group of volunteers will be established to perform the various roles that are required to implement the Project and carry through the support in various phases.
So far more than 300 such groups have been formed in the UK including one in Guildford and others may be added before long. Of these, over 100 already support families.
The aim is to support one family in all its many and various needs to establish it in a new home in an unfamiliar place with a markedly different culture.
The minimum funding required to start a Project is £9,000 and it is realistically assumed that over the resettlement period as much as £20,000 may be needed to provide the necessary support, especially as we live in an area of expensive housing.
The approach being adopted by the CSP Team is to assume that this Project will go ahead and that a family in need will be identified for resettlement before long. Development of the collaboration between CPG and the Anglican Diocese of Guildford with this objective will proceed with the target of achieving a resettlement as soon as circumstances permit.
Friends of RSFWhilst it will be fruitful to communicate news of progress to the community at large in the usual way, the RSF Team feels that it would be appropriate to establish a cohort of people within CPG who would like to be kept informed of what is happening as it is hoped that there will be regular bulletins. We would like to think of them as the “Friends of the RSF” and be able to create a list within the confidential system of CPG.
Although the bulletins will, when appropriate give details of fundraising events, the mechanism of the Friends of the RSF will not be used as a means of soliciting funds. However, although normal networking often provides the necessary response, there may be occasion when a particular skill or experience would be needed for the family and we would feel at liberty to share that need with the Friends.
As is usual, there would be the ability to unsubscribe from the email list of the Friends at any time – and to come back!
RSF TeamMany people will appreciate that the origin of this effort within CPG on behalf of refugees lies in the efforts of Catherine and Alan Hughes. We are interested to hear from anyone who may wish to join the team or to find out more about the Fund, its ambitions and who else is involved from CPG. Please contact them on 01483 826124 or email catherineandalanhughes@gmail.com
CPG REFUGEE SUPPORT FUND
The CPG Refugee Support Fund was established to respond to the call of Pope Francis to Action. Below you will find information about the Fund’s activities and its aspirations for future action.
The Fund held a fundraising Dinner on 6 November 2021, attended by over fifty CPG parishioners, at which over £3,200 was raised – a magnificent testimony to the enduring generosity of our parishioners.
The Friends of RSF (see more below) has been inaugurated. Everyone is welcome to join this group for information and potential volunteering.
BackgroundFor several years, following the refugee crisis in 2015, a group of parishioners have held fundraising dinners to provide support for refugees, particularly from Syria, to be resettled under the Government Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Guildford Borough Council administers the Scheme locally and provides certain financial and other support.
Although eight families have been resettled in Guildford under the Scheme between 2016 and 2018, the Council decided that it no longer had sufficient funds available to increase the number of refugees that it could support.
Accordingly, the CPG Refugee Support Fund was formally set up for the purpose of providing direct financial support to refugees currently settled in the Borough. The Fund works closely with the Anglican Diocese of Guildford which has played a major role in ministering to the needs of the refugee families who have settled in the area.
Recent fundraising and expenditureFrom 2018 to 2021, from various functions and activities a total of £5,727 has been raised for use in the Fund’s support activities.
Over the same period £4,041 has been spent in supporting the Syrian families in providing basic items needed for family life, particularly in supplying items of children's clothing and footwear. Worryingly, in recent times there has been a need to provide emergency relief for the purchase of food when benefit systems have failed or the impact of covid-19 has been felt.
Non-financial supportIn addition to financial support, there are other ways in which assistance can be provided to the refugee families. It is very much hoped that plans for future activities will provide a range of are opportunities for volunteers to take on a number of practical roles designed to facilitate the ordinary living requirements of families recently established in our community.
A major contribution to the viability of the lives of the families has been the provision of laptops by parishioners and by The Guildford Lions Club.
Is the Refugee Crisis Over? Of course not!The refugee crisis which came to a head in 2015 has lasting repercussions and the number of displaced people around the world continues to grow. In recent times the attention given to the pandemic and certain aspects of the climate crisis may have diminished the focus of compassion towards the plight of involuntary migrants.
In Britain there is a political dimension to the arrival of refugees which may reduce the willingness of people to provide a welcome and sustain the newcomers with essential support. But the turbulent circumstances of the withdrawal of troops and others from Afghanistan has produced a new wave of sympathy and desire to help that is being channelled by a combination of government and voluntary sector initiatives.
What can we do?The unflagging generosity of the people of Guildford manifests itself in many ways and through a host of organisations dedicated to the support of the less fortunate, including displaced people.
The CPG Refugee Support Fund intends to
- Continue support for the Syrian families remaining on the Scheme in Guildford
- Commence support for the Afghan families arriving in Guildford
- Plan a potential Community Sponsorship Project in collaboration with the Anglican Church
It is envisaged that calls for funds will diminish over time but for now the intention is to continue support for four Syrian families during the remainder of the period of their inclusion in the Scheme which ends in 2023.
Support for the Afghan families
There are currently two Government schemes
Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was established in April before the crisis of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It is intended to assist those who worked for the Government alongside our armed forces. Some 7,000 people are expected to be resettled in the UK. So far GBC has found homes for 2 families, who have arrived and we have already provided some support for them.
Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) was established in September in the wake of the withdrawal crisis. So far 15,000 of those deemed most at risk have been evacuated and perhaps, in time, more may be able to come. The intention is to resettle 20,000, with some 5,000 in the first year
At least three properties have already been sourced in Guildford and offered to GBC. Participation by any local authority is dependent on the extent of funding available from central Government so GBC has yet to make and announce a decision on its possible involvement.
Potential Community Sponsorship Project
A Scheme to assist the resettlement of refugees was launched by the Home Office in 2016 under which community groups undertake to resettle and support a family for a minimum of two years. The RSF Team is now supporting the exploration of carrying out a Community Support Project in Guildford.
A small CSP Team has been formed to manage the Project. A wider group of volunteers will be established to perform the various roles that are required to implement the Project and carry through the support in various phases.
So far more than 300 such groups have been formed in the UK including one in Guildford and others may be added before long. Of these, over 100 already support families.
The aim is to support one family in all its many and various needs to establish it in a new home in an unfamiliar place with a markedly different culture.
The minimum funding required to start a Project is £9,000 and it is realistically assumed that over the resettlement period as much as £20,000 may be needed to provide the necessary support, especially as we live in an area of expensive housing.
The approach being adopted by the CSP Team is to assume that this Project will go ahead and that a family in need will be identified for resettlement before long. Development of the collaboration between CPG and the Anglican Diocese of Guildford with this objective will proceed with the target of achieving a resettlement as soon as circumstances permit.
Friends of RSFWhilst it will be fruitful to communicate news of progress to the community at large in the usual way, the RSF Team feels that it would be appropriate to establish a cohort of people within CPG who would like to be kept informed of what is happening as it is hoped that there will be regular bulletins. We would like to think of them as the “Friends of the RSF” and be able to create a list within the confidential system of CPG.
Although the bulletins will, when appropriate give details of fundraising events, the mechanism of the Friends of the RSF will not be used as a means of soliciting funds. However, although normal networking often provides the necessary response, there may be occasion when a particular skill or experience would be needed for the family and we would feel at liberty to share that need with the Friends.
As is usual, there would be the ability to unsubscribe from the email list of the Friends at any time – and to come back!
RSF TeamMany people will appreciate that the origin of this effort within CPG on behalf of refugees lies in the efforts of Catherine and Alan Hughes. We are interested to hear from anyone who may wish to join the team or to find out more about the Fund, its ambitions and who else is involved from CPG. Please contact them on 01483 826124 or email catherineandalanhughes@gmail.com